Novelist Hurston sparks comedy at Fenton Village cafe

By Jennifer Deseo | Nov 21, 2008

One of the secret ingredients to comedy (besides timing) is irony, the juxtaposition of profound and profane that leaves one nothing left to do but laugh. It’s what makes the idea of a short comic play on the complex, somewhat tragic life of author Zora Neale Hurston so intriguing.

The play, which drops on the Kefa Cafe (963 Bonifant St) Friday night, may or may not have anything to do with Hurston or her works. One can only assume that there is a connection, based on the evening’s transparent title — “Jump at the Sun: A Tribute to Zora Neale Hurston”. No brainer, right?

But which element will be profound, and which one profane?

First, take a look at Hurston’s roller-coaster life. Born in the early 1900s (no one really knows when), the black-American writer went from being a maid, to Ivy League scholar in anthropology, to acclaimed author, then back to maid before her death in 1960.

Hurston’s often associated with the Harlem Renaissance, the artistic movement that gave black Americans a voice of their own. But she was critical of the civil-rights movement, favoring the separatist ideas of WEB DuBois over integration. She tore into the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown vs Board of Education, Topeka, saying black students didn’t need white classmates in order to succeed.

Of course, that kind of talk got her crap from contemporary artists in the Harlem Renaissance. According to bookworms with the Lakewood (Ohio) public library, Hurston was ostracized by other black writers for not recognizing the effects of segregation on the black American experience.

Her writing style was equally confounding: poetic and erudite in its naration, then gruff and incomprehensible in its dialog. Hurston may have been Columbia educated, but her southern black characters were not, and their accents (which she used when writing dialog) were tough to navigate. (Check out excerpts from her 1937 novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” for a hit.)

A scholar who wrote with a share cropper’s voice? A black woman who opposed integration? Plenty of irony there for a good comedy.

“Jump for the Sun: A Tribute to Zora Neale Hurston” happens Friday, Nov 21, at Kefa Cafe (963 Bonifant St) starting at 7:00 p.m. There is no admission fee.

Photo courtesy of this Flickr user.

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Conflicting concepts emerge over new downtown library

By Jennifer Deseo | Nov 21, 2008

ROCKVILLE — The design for Silver Spring’s new library isn’t carved in granite, but a line’s definitely been drawn in the sand.

During a human-services committee meeting Thursday morning, county council members learned that MoCo exec Ike Leggett’s ideas for the Fenton Village library site doesn’t groove with what residents chose at a series of public meetings.

Issue no. 1: parking, and whether it should be built on site. In Leggett’s scenario (below), the new library would sit on the south side of Wayne Avenue near Fenton Street (blue). Instead of offering on-site parking, a pedestrian bridge would connect the library with the public garage across the street, David Dise, with the general-services department, explained to the committee.

Leggetts reading room

Leggett's reading room

“We envision a bridge that’s open and visible from street level, with excellent lighting,” Dise said. The bridge would likely link to the garage’s third level, where parking could be reserved for bookworms only, he added.

Participants of this fall’s public meetings pulled for something different: a library on Bonifant Street near Fenton (below), with underground parking that currently isn’t figured into the design. Ironically, an adjacent residential building (yellow) could have around 140 parking spots beneath it. That left council member Valerie Ervin (D-District 5) wondering why the same couldn’t be done for the library.

The peoples choice (at least some people)

The people's choice (at least some people)

It has to do with money, Dise spelled out. His department was reluctant to foot the extra millions to dig deep beneath the library building, which would be built in advance of the apartments. On the other hand, a residential developer (who hasn’t been found yet) would be eager to build underground parking for renters or condo buyers, Dise said.

Even if the residential developer were to add parking spots for library patrons, those spots could be eons in the making, given the real-estate market these days, Dise threw in.

Council member Ervin wasn’t digging the idea. Some residents would continue to drive, either by necessity or choice, and on-site parking was a deal breaker. Business owners on Bonifant Street also worried that library patrons would suck up all the curbside parking, leaving nothing left for their customers, she said.

“There’s a growing unease that the community is not being listened to,” Ervin told the committee. “We still have to accomodate people who work and live in Silver Spring” beyond its urban core, she said.

Issue no. 2: the building’s size and orientation. Leggett’s library on Wayne would put the residential building and street-level retail on Bonifant and Fenton. Public-meeting participants want to see the apartment building on Wayne, next to The Crescent condominiums, but that would require a change in current height restrictions.

Currently, building heights are capped on that stretch of Wayne at 110 feet. A new residential building there would need 143 feet of head room (the same as The Crescent) to make the economics work, general services’ Dise said.

Ervin also worried that a library and its foot traffic would never make it to the shops on Bonifant if the library was on Wayne. On the other hand, a library entrance on Bonifant would encourage the “village” feel that Fenton Village longs for, she said.

Gary Stith, director for Silver Spring’s regional center, wasn’t sweating it. Even with the library on Wayne, an entrance on Fenton Street would still get people moving to Mandalay or Roger Miller for some post-reading nosh, he suggested.

Issue no. 3: the cost. Leggett’s design of preference rings up at $58 million, council member George Leventhal (D-At large) said. By comparison, the people’s choice costs $78 million, including the cost of digging that on-site parking.

With the county exec at odds with area residents, what’s a county council to do? Hold another public meeting, Leventhal said. Expect one to hit before Dec 4, when county council members get a second swing at the job.

Updated Nov 21, 2008, to correct the cost of parking at the library.

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This Weekend

By Jennifer Deseo | Nov 20, 2008

I’ve gotta schlep to Rockville for an update on Silver Spring’s new library, so dig this weekend’s event calendar in the meantime. More posts drop this afternoon.

Friday

7:00 p.m. The Calliope Arts and Theatre Company present “Jump at the Sun: A Tribute to Zora Neale Hurston“. This free program includes an introduction to the novelist’s life experiences, excerpts from her work, and the short comedy “A Gift for Zora” by Leon Levenson. Hit it at Space 7:10 at Kefa Cafe (963 Bonifant St).

8:00 p.m. The Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Rd) presents “Third”, a drama by Wendy Wasserstein. Tickets are $13 to $18 each.

8:00 p.m. The Spooky Action Theater performs two plays by Samuel Beckett: “Krapp’s Last Tape” and “Ohio Impromptu”. This event takes place at Montgomery College’s Black Box Theatre (Philadelphia and Chicago Aves, Takoma Park). Admission is $15 per person ($5 for students).

10:00 p.m. Piratz Tavern (8402 Georgia Ave) hosts an opening-night party for the vampire film “Twilight”, plus absinthe tastings and performances by the Mortifera Gothic-fusion dance and dark-arts troupe. There’s no cover, but keep your ID handy.

10:00 p.m. Get your musical-multimedia groove on at Loda, South Silver Spring’s weekly rump shaker. The party drops on Gallery Lounge (1115 East-West Hwy). Ten bucks and convincing ID get you through the door.

Saturday

9:30 a.m. The annual Thanksgiving parade travels north on Georgia Avenue at Sligo Avenue, to Silver Plaza on Ellsworth Drive. This event is free and open to the public.

12:30 p.m. The state transit administration holds an open house and public hearing to discuss the Purple Line mass-transit project. This free event takes place inside Falcon Hall (7600 Takoma Ave, Takoma Park) on the Montgomery College campus.

2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The Spooky Action Theater performs two plays by Samuel Beckett: “Krapp’s Last Tape” and “Ohio Impromptu”. This event takes place at Montgomery College’s Black Box Theatre (Philadelphia and Chicago Aves, Takoma Park). Admission is $15 per person ($5 for students).

8:00 p.m. The Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Rd) presents “Third”, a drama by Wendy Wasserstein. Tickets are $13 to $18 each.

Sunday

2:00 p.m. The Spooky Action Theater performs two plays by Samuel Beckett: “Krapp’s Last Tape” and “Ohio Impromptu”. This event takes place at Montgomery College’s Black Box Theatre (Philadelphia and Chicago Aves, Takoma Park). Admission is $15 per person ($5 for students).

6:30 p.m. The District’s Sonic Circuits Festival unleashes live experimental music and digital video art with Parisian group Video Love, and local artists Dead Violets. Hit it at the Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center (8230 Georgia Ave) with $5 for the guy at the door.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Permanently Scatterbrained.

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The Potable Penguin: Aid to the pour

By Maggie Ardiente | Nov 19, 2008

A good, affordable bottle of wine can be tough to spot among the Turning Leaves and Alice Whites that dominate local liquor stores. But read between the lines — er, the bottles — and one might find a gem at Lenox Beer and Wine, a grocery store tucked away in the Lenox Park apartment building.

A recent trip revealed a solitary bottle of Covey Run Riesling Columbia Valley (2007). Its limited availability was taken as a positive — wine in high demand must be good. (The cashier’s endorsement didn’t hurt, either.) It turned out to be the right choice.

Courtesy of Covey Run Wines.

Courtesy of Covey Run Wines.

Covey Run grows its grapes in the cool, damp Columbia and Yakima Valleys in Washington State, the second-leading wine-producing region in the United States. (Keep an eye out for wines from the Pacific Northwest — many argue that they rival wines from Napa Valley.)

Wine Spectator magazine dubbed this wine’s 2006 vintage a “daily wine pick under $15″. Covey Run also has earned 20 “best-value” awards, with individual ratings in the mid to upper 80s — not bad for a brand that generally costs less than a Jackson.

Swirling the light-gold Riesling revealed very strong aromas — Covey Run rightly earns its reputation as a fruit-driven wine. At the initial sip, there’s no mistaking the thick flavors of apple and pear.

But for those who lean toward drier Rieslings, the powerful fruit makes this one overly sweet. Try it with spicy dishes –Thai chicken noodles or pasta fra diavolo — and the balance is more evident.

A bottle of this gem costs $9 at Lenox Beer and Wine, though other wine and liquor stores might offer a better deal. With tough economic times ahead, a few bottles could come in handy, if only to drown one’s sorrows.

Covey Run Riesling Columbia Valley (2007), $9 per bottle at Lenox Beer and Wine, 1400 East-West Hwy, Silver Spring.

Lead photo courtesy of Flickr user RobW.

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Speed-cam fines could foot ambulance bill: Andrews

By Jennifer Deseo | Nov 19, 2008

County council members on Tuesday announced a bill that would quash MoCo exec Ike Leggett’s proposed fees for emergency medical services.

Instead of charging health insurance companies for ambulance services, which Leggett pitched earlier this year, council member Phil Andrews (D-District 3) proposed to use red-light and speed camera fines to cover the ambulance tab.

“The county executive has posed the ambulance fee as the only way we could fund the purchase of new equipment for the fire and rescue service,” Andrews said in a press statement. “This bill shows a way that we could fund the purchase of much-needed equipment without implementing an ambulance fee, which most people in this county do not want.”

Under state law, MoCo must use speed-monitoring revenue on new public-safety programs, not to cover existing expenses. However, Andrews’ proposal would use half of that revenue to buy new gear for fire and rescue services. A quarter of it would go to countywide pedestrian-safety programs; 15 percent to the PD’s traffic-safety programs; and 9 percent to municipal pedestrian-safety programs.

It’s unclear how much money those speed- and red-light cameras haul in each year, though individual snapshots cost speed demons $40 each; red-light runners catch a $75 fine. Under Leggett’s plan, health insurance companies would be hit with a bill of $300 to $800 for each ambulance trip; uninsured patients roll for free.

According to Leggett’s advocates, health insurance companies already charge policy holders for ambulance services, and the county would be collecting nearly $15 million that’s already been paid for. Opponents worry that fees would dissuade the uninsured from dialing 9-1-1 during an emergency.

Council member Don Praisner (D-District 4), who sits on the public-safety committee with Andrews and at-large Dem Marc Elrich, previously dumped on Leggett’s pitch. Insurance forms could confuse patients, he said. On the flip side, Elrich said the county was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Everyone needs to take a sober look at where the county budget is,” Elrich told his colleagues last month.

The council’s public-safety committee takes its licks at Andrews’ idea on Dec 4.

Photo courtesy of the MoCo PD.

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Silver Spring civic groups to talk crime

By Jennifer Deseo | Nov 18, 2008

People in Silver Spring’s residential neighborhoods plan to powwow over crime and how they can scrape it off the streets, a rep for the area’s civic groups announced.

The “crime summit”, a series of meetings scheduled to start Sunday in Woodside Park, aims to spit out an action plan that’ll put the kibbosh on crime now and in the future, Tony Hausner, a rep for Silver Spring’s civic organizations, explained to the neighborhoods committee Monday night.

“The county executive’s budget is calling for a reduction in new police recruits,” Hausner said. “We feel the police department is already understaffed, so what can we as a community do to reduce crime in the area?”

According to the most recent crime statistics available on the MoCo PD website, crime in the third police district increased 8 percent between the first quarters of 2007 and 2008. Things like burglary, assault and robbery experienced a year-over-year decrease. But auto theft and larceny increased by 12 and 22 percent, respectively, in the same period.

“My neighborhood had a doubling of crime,” Hausner, an Indian Spring resident, said.

The PD doesn’t break things down by specific neighborhoods, but the H1 sector includes residential neighborhoods beyond downtown Silver Spring. In that sector, burglary and theft from vehicles increased within the month of October, from three burglaries and three vehicle break-ins in the first half of the month, to 10 burglaries and seven vehicle break-ins in the last half.

In the G1 sector, which includes downtown Silver Spring, burglary rates remained low (two for the month of October). However, 27 vehicle break-ins were reported that month, compared with 10 in the H1 sector.

On top of theft, the crime summit hopes to examine education-based neighborhood watches, active community patrols, gang-busting efforts, and what Hausner described as “quality-of-life offenses like crude, offensive behavior”.

But talks on crime should be rooted in cold, hard facts, not just perceived conditions, Megan Moriarty, the neighborhoods committee’s newly elected chair, said. “People’s perceptions and actual incidents of crime are sometimes different,” she told Hausner.

Moriarty also suggested reaching out to downtown Silver Spring’s apartment dwellers, who are not represented by the civic organizations involved in this crime summit. Silver Spring’s citizens advisory board might co-sponsor the summit, but only three of its 18 members — Moriarty, Evan Glass and Lucinda Lessley — live in downtown apartment buildings.

The Silver Spring Crime Summit takes place on Sunday at the St Luke Lutheran Church (9100 Colesville Rd), starting at 7:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Photos courtesy of Flickr user TiareScott.

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